Fruit-grading machine



H. F. DAVIDSON AND W. F. WHEELER.

' FRUIT GRADING MACHINE APPLICATION man JULY 25, 1919.

1,358,061. Patented Nov. 9, 1920. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

-H. F. DAVIDSON AND W. F. WHEELER. FRUIT GRADING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1919.

1,358,061. Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED; "STATES.

PArsnrol-"rlcs. f

nom'rror. navrnsonm WILLIAM I; wanna, or noon nrvnn, demon,

. F3'U'IT-GR;LDING MACHINE.

Toallwhomitmayconaem."

"son and WILLIAM F.

' Be it known that we WHnnLnmcitizens of the United Staten-and residents of Hood River, county of Hood, State of Oregon,

have invented anew and useful Improvement in Fruit-Grading Machines, of which 7 the following is"a'spec 1fication.

10 lowln The object of our invention is to provide a fruit atures:

1. automatic grader comprising a plurality of individual cup-like grading elements open at the bottom, and the sides of which'are automatically moved apart, step by step, so that first the smallest size fruit,

1 then the medium or intermediate size fruit and finally the largest size fruit will each in turn be dropped into one of a series of receptacles over'which the automatically moved.

2. To provide means for carrying the fruit to the grader, such means including devices operating to turn the fruit over concerned with our invention, is constructed while in transit so as to permit inspection of all its sides, and other means automatically transferring the fruit from the carrier to the grrader sectlon'; in other words placing the uit piece by piecein the grading cups of the grader sect1on..

The further object of our invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, efiicient automatic fruit grader, and to this end having the further special features hereinafter described. Y

Our machine, with respect.to the part as illustrated in the accompanying draw- 111 inwhich gure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective of our'machine-showing the fruit carrier and the fruit grader sections arranged as in practice, but only one of said grading cup carriers is shown, and parts being omitted for clearness.

Fi 2 is a transverse section of the car 'rler y which the fruit is carried to the grader, illustratingin particular the means provided 'on said carrier for turning the fruit while in transit so as to-permit .in-

:spection of all sides of the fruit;

Fig. 3 is a larger scale perspective of said carrier with parts broken away illustrating the same features as illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective sectional detail of said carrier;

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail, with parts Home F. Danny grading machine, possessing the fol} grading cups are Specification of Better: Patent. Patented Nov. 9, 1920. A-pp11oat1 on'med m 25, iaia. Serial no. 31am.

broken away, illustrating particularly the means for transferring the'fruit from the carrier section the grader section of our machine; c

Fig. 6 is a fragmental plan, or top view,

illustrating the grading section of our ma- -chine, also illustrating the means and man- Fig. 8 is a side elevation, partly in section' of the features shown in Fig. 7, but drawn on a-larger scale than the latter.

- Figs. 7 and 8 being, for convenience in illustration, turned at right angles to the position of the same parts in Flg. 6;

And Figs. 9 and 10 are further details of construction of said grading-cup carriers.

On the frame portion a, are mounted parallel endless carriers or belts b, one on either side in order to give the machine greater capacity; and between said carriers .are auxiliary parallel endless carriers or belts 0, 0'. Between the'pulleys d, d of each'of the carriers 6, and underthe upper section thereof, is provided a lon 'tudinally extending support or board e, eveled in cross section, supporting the outer-side f, of the belts b, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4, but permitting the inner side f to sag under the weight of the fruit.

Alongthe sagging inner side f of said carrier 6, is located a driven-roller (7, revolving on an axis parallel with the line of motion of the carrier 6, and rotating toward the sagging side f' of said carrier, as

indicated by the arrow, thereby causing the fruit to turn over and over while being carried along on the carrier 6, and in this way aifording an opportunity'for inspection of all sides of the fruit. The pulleys d, d are driven by a sprocket gear and chain element h, and the roller 9 is" driven by suitable bevel-gearing, as represented at i in Fig. 3.

The fruit to be graded is picked on the bottom is, and having a slot Z at oneside, as shown in Fig. 4.

The gradersection consists of a frame m,

ing-cups g. .',.The grading-cup carriers com prise two .parts,'.as shown in Figs. 7, 8, ,9.

- and 10, namelytia part p fastened on the sprocket chains '0, and provided with flanges 2 at the sides, in which is slidablyheld the part 12 "The cup is provided in two parts or sides, q, q, the side g being carried by the part :of said grading-cup carrier and the cup-sideflg'f being on said movable part- 7 travel of the gradln -cup carrier p, the movp of the grading-cup carrier. Each of the bar parts 1 p grading cup'through which the fruit may drop when the sides are sufiiciently spaced cam-rail t. Hence as the gradin -cup carriers travel 1n the d rection in mated by 80 the arrow in Fig. 7, their movable parts are progressively pulled to one side by the i inclined edges t and t of the cam-rail z}, thereby progressivelymoving the Walls of thegra'ding cups-farther and farther apart.

Andin order to close again the grading cups,

, we 1provide a cam-rail a, arranged as shown ig. 7, against'which the-roller s bears during the further travel of the transverse bar ,therebi causing the inward movement of t e' slidab e part 9 of sald grading cups,

'back to its initial position, and completing one cycle of operation of our machine.

Under the frame m of the grader section is provided a series of receptacles w, to receive the fruit dropped from the grading cups, and these receptacles may be provided with chutes 'w' for discharging the fruit into boxes.

The fruitto be graded is in the first in stance deposited on the board 3 having sides tributing the fruit to both sides of the carrier. Bars 6 are provided to keep the fruit on the auxiliary carriers 0, c.

fruit pieces roll or are pushed.

hasia central portion cutaway, as 'v, a" so as toprovide an opening as ate? between the sides of the I the grading cups 9 to their initial position is then returning same to its initial position. 4,- and provided with gulde-fianges 5 disgiving am leo portunity for inspecting. the fruit oii all gides. The culls are taken off, and the good fruit is put -on "the aux iliary carrier 0. By the latter it is. conveyed to the fixed cup 9', into which the individualsqo,

. When one of the grading-cup carriers 2n approaches the fixed cupsi j, the finger r on [the stationarv side g of the grading cup-g will enter the openbottom k of the fixed cup 7', and will lift the fruit outof the fixed cup into the grading-cup; the fruit'resting on the ringslike finger T which. moves up in the slot Z of the fixed cup; then, in the continued able side 9 of t e grading cupsg is gradually moved sidewise, by the cam roller .9 moving on the cam t as mentioned, thus opening the bottom of the grading cups more and more, step by step and causing first the smaller sizedfru'it, then the inter mediate size, and finally the largest size fruit to fall into the receptacle w, from which the fruit is conveyed by the chutes 2 to the packing boxes or other receptacles.

The progressive opening of the gradingcups maybe so arran ed as to grade any desired number of di erent sizes of fruit, and the travel of the grading cups over the receptacles w must of course be so timed as discharge of the fruit, while the grading cups are positioned over the receptacles w.

The returningof the movable sides 9 of accomplished by the cam u as mentioned. The dotted circless' in Fig. 6 represent, diagrammatically, the travel of the cam-roller .9, r

of the movable side alrgg the cam-rail u.

e claim: 1. In a fruit grader, parallel, endless, belt-. like driven devices, a plurality of individual fruit grading-cup carriers mounted'transversely onsaid driven devices, individual g of the grading cup,

' fruit grading-cups mounted on said carriers,

such cups being open at the bottom and having a movableside, and means operating to move the movable side, step by step, and

115. 2. In a fruit grader, parallel endless driven belts; a plurallty of .fruit grading-cup carriers mounted on said belts, said carriers comprising each two telescopable parts, individual fruit grading-cups mounted on. said carriers,such cups being open at the bottom and having divided sides, one of which is carried by one of said carrier parts and the 7 other by the other of the latter, means for moving said carrier parts outward, step by step, and then returning them to their initial positions, thereby opening and closing said grading-cups.-- f

3. In a fruit grader, parallel endless driven belts; a plurality of fruit grading-cup Car:

riers mounted on said belts, said carriers comprising each telescopable parts, individual fruit grading-cupsmounted on said carriers, such cups being open at the bottom and having divided sides, one of which is carried by one of said carrier parts and the otherby the other of the latter. r

4. A fruit gradin machine comprising a frame;-parallel en ess driven belts a plurality'of fruit gradin -cup carriers transversely mounted on'sald belts, each of said carrier outward, step by step, and then return the same to its initial position, and to efiect the latter-movements progressively, and relatively to said receptacles.

5. In a fruit grading machine, a carrier section, a fixed cup located at the dischar e end of such section, a grading section inclu ing a series of traveling-individual fruit grading-cups, and means for transferring the fruit from said fixed cup to that one of said grading-cups adjacent thereto.

6. n a fruit grading machine, a primary carrier, at fixed cup into which the carrier discharges, said cupv having a slotted side and being open at the bottom, secondary carrier provided with a grading cup open at the bottom and having a movable side, and further provided with a member ada ted for passin through said slotted side 0 the fixed cup or lifting the fruit from the latter into the.grading cup for the secondary carrier.

7. In a fruit grading machine, a primary carrier, a fixed cup into which thecarrier discharges, said cup having a slotted side and being open at the bottom, secondary carrier provided with a grading cup open at the bottom and having a movable side, and further provided with a member adapted for passing through said slotted side of the fixed cup for lifting the fruit from the latter into the grading cup of the secondary carrier, and means for progressively moving the movable side of said grading cup.

8. In a fruit grading machine, a carrier section,a fixed cup located at the discharge end of such section, into which the carrier section discharges the fruit which itcarries, a grading section including a series of traveling individual fruit gradmgcups, and

means for transferring the fruit from said fixed cup to that one of said grading-cups adjacent thereto.

HORATlU F. DAVIDSON. WILLIAM F. WHEELER. 

